The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act’s two lead sponsors in Congress have challenged the Chinese government to show through concrete action that it is opening up Tibet to the outside world.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) were reacting to reports in Chinese state media from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa that China was changing its policy regarding access to Tibet, a historically independent country that China has occupied for 70 years.

A China Daily report on Jan. 10, 2019 says, “Overseas tourists will find it easier and faster to apply for a travel permit to Tibet this year as the regional government makes efforts to boost tourism.”

In response, Sen. Rubio tweeted on Jan.11, 2019: “Seems the new Reciprocal Access to #Tibet law has gotten the attention of the Chinese Gov't. Time will tell if they open up Tibet & stop brutally repressing the Tibetan people.”

Rubio also had a message for the Trump Administration. His tweet said, “In the meantime, @StateDept should swiftly implement the bill.”

]]>The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act’s two lead sponsors in Congress have challenged the Chinese government to show through concrete action that it is opening up Tibet to the outside world.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) were reacting to reports in Chinese state media from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa that China was changing its policy regarding access to Tibet, a historically independent country that China has occupied for 70 years.

A China Daily report on Jan. 10, 2019 says, “Overseas tourists will find it easier and faster to apply for a travel permit to Tibet this year as the regional government makes efforts to boost tourism.”

In response, Sen. Rubio tweeted on Jan.11, 2019: “Seems the new Reciprocal Access to #Tibet law has gotten the attention of the Chinese Gov’t. Time will tell if they open up Tibet & stop brutally repressing the Tibetan people.”

Rubio also had a message for the Trump Administration. His tweet said, “In the meantime, @StateDept should swiftly implement the bill.”

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, of which Rep. McGovern is a co-Chair, said in a tweet on Jan.11, 2019, “The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, led by @RepMcGovern and former @RepHultgren and approved last Congress, has clearly caught China’s attention: After new US law China plans to issue faster permits for foreigners to visit Tibet.”

Reciprocal access to Tibet

On Dec. 19, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act (RATA), which requires the State Department to deny or revoke US visas for Chinese officials who are responsible for keeping American journalists, diplomats and ordinary citizens out of Tibet.

The China Daily report quotes a Chinese government official in Lhasa saying, “The Tibet autonomous region plans to cut the time for issuing travel permits to overseas tourists by half in 2019.”

“Since RATA began making its way through Congress, Chinese officials have made one misleading statement about this legislation after another out of fear of Americans’ enduring support for the Tibetan people. Today’s announcement should be viewed no differently,” said Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet.

Mecacci added, “The US government—and all US citizens who care about human rights and democracy—must continue to pressure the Chinese government to end its isolation of Tibet and restore basic freedoms to Tibetans.”

Heavy restrictions

One of the goals of RATA is to make it easier for American officials and journalists to enter Tibet so they can report on the situation of the Tibetan people.

As the text of the legislation notes, the US “submitted 39 requests for diplomatic access to the Tibet Autonomous Region between May 2011 and July 2015, but only four were granted.”

Similarly, with the exception of a few highly controlled trips, Chinese authorities have repeatedly denied requests for American journalists to visit Tibet.

RATA says that “Tibetan-Americans, attempting to visit their homeland, report having to undergo a discriminatory visa application process, different from what is typically required, at the Chinese embassy and consulates in the United States, and often find their requests to travel denied.”

China’s policy on access to Tibet will come under Congressional scrutiny at the end of March 2019. RATA requires that within 90 days of its enactment (which will be in March), “the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and make available to the public on the website of the Department of State, a report that includes an assessment of the level of access Chinese authorities granted diplomats and other officials, journalists, and tourists from the United States to Tibetan areas.”

The International Campaign for Tibet applauds the passage of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (S.2736) by the United States Congress. The Act was signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 31, 2018 and includes a reference to Tibet.

The Act, known as ARIA, aims to “develop a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region.” It says, “The United States has a fundamental interest in defending human rights and promoting the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The Act includes a reference to supporting “activities preserving cultural traditions and promoting sustainable development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities” in the region. The Act expresses grave concerns with Chinese actions that seek to further constrain space for civil society within China and to undermine a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

]]>The International Campaign for Tibet applauds the passage of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (S.2736) by the United States Congress. The Act was signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 31, 2018 and includes a reference to Tibet.

The Act, known as ARIA, aims to “develop a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region.” It says, “The United States has a fundamental interest in defending human rights and promoting the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The Act includes a reference to supporting “activities preserving cultural traditions and promoting sustainable development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities” in the region. The Act expresses grave concerns with Chinese actions that seek to further constrain space for civil society within China and to undermine a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) were the lead sponsors of the Act.

“Our nation took a huge step to ensure the United States remains the pre-eminent Pacific power – and primary supporter of the international order – for generations to come,” said Sens. Gardner and Markey. “We are proud that our legislation to establish a long-term strategy in Asia has been signed into law. ARIA allows the United States government to speak with one voice to advance our nation’s national security and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific by establishing forward-looking policies, authorizing additional resources to strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the region, and speaking with moral clarity on fundamental American values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. ARIA ensures that the US will continue to support Tibet by authorizing funds for Tibet-related programs and by highlighting Chinese human rights abuses against the Tibetan people.”

“This Act rightly places the issue of Tibet within the parameters of US security interests. Tibet occupies an Asian fault zone of clashing cultures and big-power politics,” said Matteo Mecacci, president of the International Campaign for Tibet.

“A stable Tibet where the rule of law and basic freedoms are respected would contribute greatly to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and the Trump administration should take that into consideration while working for a durable and lasting solution to the Tibet issue,” Mecacci added.

Following is the relevant reference to Tibet in the Act.
SEC. 409. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) Promotion of Democracy in the Indo-Pacific Region.–
(1) In general.–There is authorized to be appropriated $210,000,000, for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023, to promote democracy, strengthen civil society, human rights, rule of law, transparency, and accountability in the Indo- Pacific region, including for universities, civil society, and multilateral institutions that are focusing on education awareness, training, and capacity building.

(2) Democracy in china.–Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be made available for United States Government efforts, led by the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, to promote democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in the People’s Republic of China.

(3) Tibet.–Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be made available for nongovernmental organizations to support activities preserving cultural traditions and promoting sustainable development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in China, India, and Nepal.

]]>ICT responds to Chinese ministry’s distortions on US Tibet legislationhttp://www.savetibet.org/ict-responds-to-chinese-ministrys-distortions-on-us-tibet-legislation/
Sat, 15 Dec 2018 15:15:43 +0000http://www.savetibet.org/?p=23856Statement by Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet

December 15, 2018

“The Chinese Government’s reaction on Dec. 14, 2018 to the passing of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is a gross distortion of Congress' intention to give Americans the same rights of access to Tibet that Chinese citizens have to the US. In fact, as revealed by the Washington Post on Oct. 11, 2018, the Chinese government “interfered” in the American legislative process when it wrote to some Senators urging them not to support the bill.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is about Americans getting the same rights from China that the US accords to Chinese visiting this country."

]]>Statement by Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet

“The Chinese Government’s reaction on Dec. 14, 2018 to the passing of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is a gross distortion of Congress’ intention to give Americans the same rights of access to Tibet that Chinese citizens have to the US. In fact, as revealed by the Washington Post on Oct. 11, 2018, the Chinese government “interfered” in the American legislative process when it wrote to some Senators urging them not to support the bill.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is about Americans getting the same rights from China that the US accords to Chinese visiting this country.

Through the bill, Congress is only demanding respect for the principle of reciprocity in US-China relations, not only on trade issues, but also when it comes to freedom of movement for US citizens.

As mentioned in the bill, “officials of the Government of the United States submitted 39 requests for diplomatic access to the Tibet Autonomous Region between May 2011 and July 2015, but only four were granted.”

In response to questions from Senators during his confirmation process, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in May 2018, “President Trump has regularly stated his desire for reciprocity in the US-China relationship. I am committed to pushing for reciprocity regarding the open access China and many other countries enjoy in the United States, including for US journalists seeking to visit the Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan areas of China.”

If the Chinese Communist Party propaganda about the situation in Tibet were true, why would they block American journalists, diplomats and politicians from traveling freely in Tibet? Why would they impose strictly controlled tours for all foreign tourists managed by state approved travel agencies? Why don’t they allow Tibetan-Americans to visit their relatives, from whom, in some cases, they have been separated for decades?

The answer lies in the fact that for almost seven decades since it invaded Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party has imposed immense suffering and oppression on the people of Tibet; and by blocking access to Tibet, while at the same time imposing an Orwellian control system on Tibetans, they aim at stifling any form of dissent, which has tragically led 155 Tibetans to self-immolate in Tibet and China since 2009. China has no courage to open Tibet to Americans on a reciprocal basis because it has a lot to hide.”

Below is the answer of the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the passage of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act by the US Senate on Dec. 11, 2018.

Q: The US Congress has voted to demand access for US diplomats, journalists and tourists to Tibet. If these people do not get access to Tibet, the US Congress wants to deny the access of Chinese officials to the US. What is your reaction to that?

A: The relevant bill passed by the US Congress has disregarded the facts, grossly interfered in China’s domestic affairs, and violated the basic norms of international relations. China is resolutely opposed to this and has made stern representations to the US.

Tibet affairs are purely China’s domestic affairs and allow no interference from other countries. If a foreigner wants access to Tibet, he/she can go through normal channels to realize that. In fact, every year, a large number of Chinese and foreigners go to Tibet for visit, travel and business. Take the United States for example, there have been nearly 40,000 Americans who have come to Tibet since 2015, including the minority leader of the US House of Representatives and senators. All these have fully proved that the accusations against China in the US bill are totally untenable and must not be accepted by the Chinese government and people

We urge the US administration to immediately take effective measures to prevent the bill from being signed into law, so as not to seriously damage China-US relations and cooperation between the two countries in important areas.

]]>Mourning the loss of George H.W. Bush, first President to meet the Dalai Lamahttp://www.savetibet.org/mourning-the-loss-of-george-h-w-bush-first-president-to-meet-the-dalai-lama/
Mon, 03 Dec 2018 16:27:07 +0000http://www.savetibet.org/?p=23763December 3, 2018

President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Nov. 30, 2018, was the first American President to meet with the Dalai Lama, paving the way for successive Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama to follow.

George H.W. Bush and the Dalai Lama met on April 16, 1991, during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Washington, D.C. Although the Dalai Lama started visiting the United States in 1979, during the time of President Jimmy Carter, it took 11 years for an American President to receive him.

Recalling this, the Dalai Lama told President George W. Bush, in a condolence message on Dec. 1, 2018, “I am saddened by the passing away of your father, President George H.W. Bush. I offer my profound condolences to you and your family at this difficult time.

President H.W. Bush meeting the Dalai Lama in the White House on April 16, 1991.

President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Nov. 30, 2018, was the first American President to meet with the Dalai Lama, paving the way for successive Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama to follow.

George H.W. Bush and the Dalai Lama met on April 16, 1991, during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Washington, D.C. Although the Dalai Lama started visiting the United States in 1979, during the time of President Jimmy Carter, it took 11 years for an American President to receive him.

Recalling this, the Dalai Lama told President George W. Bush, in a condolence message on Dec. 1, 2018, “I am saddened by the passing away of your father, President George H.W. Bush. I offer my profound condolences to you and your family at this difficult time.

“He was in fact the first American President that I was privileged to meet. I recall being deeply touched by your father’s concern for the Tibetan people and the situation in Tibet. It is truly admirable to have lived over 94 years. While nothing can replace the loss of a father, we can rejoice in the fact that his was a meaningful life, dedicated to public service. I commend your parents for encouraging their children, including you my dear friend, to devote yourselves to the service of others.”

Briefing the media on April 17, 1991, the then-White House Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said, “The President met with him for about a half an hour last evening. They discussed the general situation in Tibet.” He continued, “We have, however, repeatedly raised our concerns over human rights abuses in that country—I mean in Tibet—with the Chinese government, and we continue to urge the followers of the Dalai Lama and the Beijing government to resume a peaceful dialogue to resolve the problems between them.”

The White House spokesman also highlighted the programmatic support that the United States was giving to the Tibetan people. He said, “The US also provides roughly a half million dollars a year in aid to Tibetan refugees in Nepal and India. In addition, the Voice of America has recently begun broadcasts in the Tibetan language.”

Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), conveyed condolences on behalf of the CTA and the people of Tibet, saying “Tibetans all around the world deeply feel this great loss. We will remember him in our thoughts and prayers.”

Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, Pema Jungney, recalled the resolute support extended by the deceased President Bush and his entire family during the history of Tibetan struggle and offered solidarity with the family members at this sorrowful time.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act passed another milestone today, Nov. 28, 2018, when it was unanimously approved by the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Act, which the House of Representatives passed in September, aims to end China’s isolation of Tibet and the Tibetan people from the outside world by calling on the Chinese government to allow American journalists, diplomats and tourists into Tibet, just as their Chinese counterparts are able to travel in the US.

“The unanimous support expressed today by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) once again reflects the widespread concern of the American people for the situation inside Tibet and for the lack of access for US citizens,” said Matteo Mecacci, president of the International Campaign for Tibet. “We wish to thank in particular the main sponsor of the bill in the Senate, Sen. Rubio, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the SFRC, Sen. Corker and Sen. Menendez, for their steadfast and principled stance in support of reciprocity in US-China relations."

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) being thanked by ICT President Matteo Mecacci after the vote.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act passed another milestone today, Nov. 28, 2018, when it was unanimously approved by the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Act, which the House of Representatives passed in September, aims to end China’s isolation of Tibet and the Tibetan people from the outside world by calling on the Chinese government to allow American journalists, diplomats and tourists into Tibet, just as their Chinese counterparts are able to travel in the US.

“The unanimous support expressed today by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) once again reflects the widespread concern of the American people for the situation inside Tibet and for the lack of access for US citizens,” said Matteo Mecacci, president of the International Campaign for Tibet. “We wish to thank in particular the main sponsor of the bill in the Senate, Sen. Rubio, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the SFRC, Sen. Corker and Sen. Menendez, for their steadfast and principled stance in support of reciprocity in US-China relations.”

The Act also highlights the discriminatory process that Tibetan-Americans have to go through at the Chinese Embassy and consulates whey they apply for visas to visit Tibet on pilgrimage or to meet their relatives.

Currently, China heavily restricts Americans (as well as all foreigners) from entering Tibet—a historically independent country that China has occupied for nearly 70 years—even though Chinese citizens are free to travel throughout the US and other democratic countries.

In recent years, politicians from both parties have become increasingly outraged at China’s unfair treatment of the US and have demanded that China’s government reciprocate on issues of trade as well as freedom of access for American journalists, diplomats and citizens.

Over the past year, Tibetan-Americans and Tibet supporters throughout the US have been reaching out to their Members of Congress to ask them to raise the issue of access to Tibet and to support the bill.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act continues to gain steam with United States Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) cosponsoring the bill, signaling strong support for it to be approved in the Senate and signed into law before 2018 ends.

Sanders, considered a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, and Gardner, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as the Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cosponsored the bill on Nov. 13, the first day Congress was back at work following the midterm elections.

United States Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) speaking on the Senate floor.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act continues to gain steam with United States Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) cosponsoring the bill, signaling strong support for it to be approved in the Senate and signed into law before 2018 ends.

Sanders, considered a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, and Gardner, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well as the Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cosponsored the bill on Nov. 13, the first day Congress was back at work following the midterm elections.

“The growing, bipartisan support for this legislation shows that reciprocal access to Tibet is a priority for all Americans,” said Matteo Mecacci, president of the International Campaign for Tibet. “Momentum is building, and the responsibility lies with the Senate to pass the bill this year.”

Goals of the legislation

Known as RATA, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is based on the widely accepted diplomatic principle of reciprocity, which calls on countries to give equal rights to one another’s citizens.

China—which has occupied and ruled Tibet for nearly 70 years—does not reciprocate. Although Chinese citizens travel freely throughout the US, American journalists, diplomats and tourists are banned from Tibet.

Under RATA, the Chinese officials who keep Americans out of Tibet will be denied entry to the US.

One of the goals of the legislation is to pressure China into letting international observers into Tibet so they can help expose China’s human rights violations against the Tibetan people.

Tragic situation

Right now, China denies Tibetans’ religious freedom, arrests them for such crimes as celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday, tortures them for protesting peacefully and even shoots them dead if they try to flee into exile.

“RATA is vital for the people of Tibet, who have long suffered in silence because China prevents the outside world from reaching them,” Mecacci said. “It’s also important for Americans who deserve the same rights as Chinese citizens, including the thousands of Tibetan-Americans who should have the freedom to see their ancestral land and reunite with their family members.”

The Chinese government aggressively denied its human rights violations during today’s Universal Periodic Review of its record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Despite China’s false claims, a number of countries rightly pointed out China’s systematic abuse of basic freedoms in Tibet and Xinjiang, among other serious concerns.

“The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is deeply concerned by the responses of the Chinese government during today’s UN hearing,” said Kai Mueller, head of ICT’s UN advocacy team and executive director of ICT Germany. “It should be clear to everyone that this was not just about the rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs or Chinese human rights defenders, but also about promoting to the world the Chinese system, which quite obviously discards human rights and the rule of law,”.

]]>The Chinese government aggressively denied its human rights violations during today’s Universal Periodic Review of its record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Despite China’s false claims, a number of countries rightly pointed out China’s systematic abuse of basic freedoms in Tibet and Xinjiang, among other serious concerns.

“The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is deeply concerned by the responses of the Chinese government during today’s UN hearing,” said Kai Mueller, head of ICT’s UN advocacy team and executive director of ICT Germany. “It should be clear to everyone that this was not just about the rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs or Chinese human rights defenders, but also about promoting to the world the Chinese system, which quite obviously discards human rights and the rule of law,”.

However, the Chinese delegation absurdly claimed that concerns were not based on facts “and therefore full of prejudice and regretful.” Moreover, the Chinese delegation said it would not accept “politically driven accusations” and repeated its claim that China is pursuing a different path of development, which, in reality, can be understood as a path that disregards the universality of human rights.

“It was particularly worrisome to see that the top-down and authoritarian Chinese development narrative was not only left unchallenged by the international community, but was even promoted by a number of states,” Mueller said. South Africa, for example, praised the Chinese government as a “global leader of people-centered development,” neglecting the fact that hundreds of thousands of Tibetan herders and nomads have been relocated, banned from their grasslands and discriminated against by Chinese policies for years.

“The International Campaign for Tibet urges the international community to challenge China’s appalling human rights record and prevent it from becoming the new normal,” Mueller said. “Everyone who witnessed today’s review of China at the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva should understand what is at stake now.”

]]>Lodi Gyari, a lifetime of service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan peoplehttp://www.savetibet.org/lodi-gyari-a-lifetime-of-service-to-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-and-the-tibetan-people/
Mon, 29 Oct 2018 22:31:36 +0000http://www.savetibet.org/?p=23641October 29, 2018

The International Campaign for Tibet is deeply saddened by the passing of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and wishes to express our condolences to his family and all those who knew him.

Mr. Gyari, the retired Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, senior official of the Central Tibetan Administration, and Executive Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, passed away today, October 29, 2018 in San Francisco. He was 69.

Mr. Gyari was a seasoned and skilled diplomat who spent the majority of his professional career working directly for and on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He was an impassioned advocate for the Tibetan people, universal human rights and global democratic reform.

The International Campaign for Tibet is deeply saddened by the passing of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and wishes to express our condolences to his family and all those who knew him.

Mr. Gyari, the retired Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, senior official of the Central Tibetan Administration, and Executive Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, passed away today, October 29, 2018 in San Francisco. He was 69.

Mr. Gyari was a seasoned and skilled diplomat who spent the majority of his professional career working directly for and on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He was an impassioned advocate for the Tibetan people, universal human rights and global democratic reform.

Richard Gere, Chairman of the Board of the International Campaign for Tibet said: “Lodi was my dear friend and partner and mentor for over thirty years. He created a life of great meaning and sacrifice that will resonate for many generations- throughout the Tibetan and non-Tibetan world. He was extraordinary.”

Tempa Tsering, Board Member of the International Campaign for Tibet, said “I had the pleasure and also many memorable occasions of working with Gyari Rinpoche for decades on many different projects, programs and forums. Rinpoche was an inspiring leader, a true Tibetan nationalist, and he dedicated his life to Tibet and the Tibetan people. With his untimely demise, we Tibetans have lost a true nationalist and a great compatriot. We offer our heartfelt prayers to him and condolences to his family.“

Mr. Gyari was appointed as the Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington DC in 1990 (while simultaneously holding the position of the President of the International Campaign for Tibet). During his tenure, Mr. Gyari was able to make profound political, economic and social contributions to the Tibetan cause. Through building on the visits by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and undertaking effective follow up initiatives, Mr. Gyari was able to successfully institutionalize the Tibetan issue within the United States government. He also earned and enjoyed access to the highest levels of leadership within both the US Congress and the White House.

In May 1998, Mr. Gyari was appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to initiate and lead a dialogue process with the government of the People’s Republic of China. He not only conducted nine rounds of high-level talks in China and elsewhere (between 2002 and 2010) but also led an extensive behind-the-scenes diplomatic effort to sustain the process, expand the channels of communication, build trust with the Chinese leadership and maintain a broad international interest in the dialogue process.

Mr. Gyari successfully worked at the highest levels of the international arena. He was trusted, consulted and admired by many world leaders and members of the diplomatic corps. Heads of state, heads of government and policy makers consulted him on global and regional issues such as India-US relations, China-US relations and China-India relations because of his expertise, his deep knowledge of the region and his close personal connections with people in those countries.

Upon his retirement in 2012, the US Senate passed a resolution (S. Res. 557) saying that it “honors the service of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari as Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; commends the achievements of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari in building an international coalition of support for Tibet that recognizes–(A) the imperative to preserve the distinct culture and religious traditions of Tibet; and (B) that the Tibetan people are entitled under international law to their own identity and dignity and genuine autonomy within the People’s Republic of China that fully preserves the rights and dignity of the Tibetan people.”

Prior to his arrival in the United States in 1990, Mr. Gyari served in the senior most elected and appointed positions of the Central Tibetan Administration – from Speaker of the Parliament to Cabinet Minister. Mr. Gyari became the youngest elected Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament when he assumed the position at the age of thirty. He was also one of the youngest people to be appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Kashag (Cabinet) of the Central Tibetan Administration.

Biography of Lodi Gyari

Early Years

Mr. Gyari was born in 1949 into an influential family in Nyarong, Eastern Tibet and recognized as a reincarnation of Khenchen Jampal Dewé Nyima from Lumorap Monastery. His early education was in the traditional Tibetan monastic system, where incarnate lamas are offered a unique kind of training, an intensive and closely supervised curriculum somewhat akin to the tutorial system of universities like Oxford or Cambridge, except that in the Tibetan context, the student is taught one-on-one by an outstanding master scholar and practitioner.

When he was still young, Mr. Gyari’s monastic education and the life his family had known for generations were disrupted by the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Nevertheless, Mr. Gyari continued to cultivate and sustain his deep devotion to Buddhist traditions and maintained close relationships with many eminent Tibetan Buddhist masters and lineage heads. Over the years, he found himself uniquely placed to deepen his study of the rich wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition with its most revered and senior living exponents.

Mr. Gyari was drawn into the struggle for Tibetan freedom from an early age. In this effort, he reached out beyond the confines of his community to seek guidance and wisdom from eminent Indian leaders and thinkers, some of who were the giants of the Indian freedom movement. Later in life, Mr. Gyari was able to continue this quest to learn from prominent world leaders and opinion makers in the US and Europe. Mr. Gyari cultivated his relationship with these political mentors in the same way a devout Buddhist student will learn from his teacher, and thus he had the unique opportunity to learn from both the world’s greatest Buddhist thinkers and political leaders of our time.

As a young man, deeply affected by what he had seen of the brutal occupation of Tibet, Mr. Gyari longed to take up active resistance in order to help free his fellow Tibetans. He was selected to be educated as a translator for the resistance fighters being trained in the United States. However fate and circumstances intervened, and instead he became a journalist, first as the editor of Tibetan Freedom (a newspaper in Tibetan) and then of the Voice of Tibet (which subsequently became Tibetan Review), the first-ever English language publication by a Tibetan.

Mr. Gyari continued to believe in the need for armed resistance in Tibet but also saw the need for a strong grassroots political movement among the younger generation of Tibetans. To pursue this, in 1970 Mr. Gyari, together with three close associates, established the Tibetan Youth Congress with the goal of motivating the younger generation of the Tibetan community to unify and pursue the political struggle for Tibet’s future. The establishment of the Tibetan Youth Congress created a strong political force in the exile community and is credited with introducing democratic principles and practices that have had a profound influence on the democratic evolution of the Tibetans in exile. Today the Tibetan Youth Congress is the largest Tibetan political organization in exile.

Mr. Gyari was regarded as a pioneering figure in introducing and establishing a culture of democracy and modernity into the exile Tibetan community. While the urgency of the time and the pace of events prevented Mr. Gyari from earning a degree or pursuing higher academic studies, this was to prove no disadvantage to his emerging role as a very effective and respected statesman.

As he matured, Mr. Gyari went through a profound change of heart, from dreaming of resistance to becoming a committed believer in nonviolence and the pursuit of a peaceful solution, as advocated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This transformation was a gradual one that began when Mr. Gyari rose through the ranks of the Tibetan leadership, first as the Speaker of the Parliament and then later as a member of the Kashag (Cabinet). Mr. Gyari was one of the most dedicated and articulate proponents of the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way approach, which he called the most farsighted and brilliant strategy for the Tibetan people.

Advocacy in the United States

While in his role as Special Envoy to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mr. Gyari also served as President of the International Campaign for Tibet in Washington DC from 1991 to 1999. During that time, the organization grew from fewer than 1,000 members to more than 75,000 and from an organization with little funding to one with a multi-million dollar budget. Today, the International Campaign for Tibet is the largest and most influential non-governmental organization in the West working on behalf of the Tibetan people with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels, in addition to Washington DC. Following his term as President of the International Campaign for Tibet, Mr. Gyari joined the organization’s Board of Directors as Executive Chairman, a position he held till 2014.

Mr. Gyari advocated for key legislation in the US Congress benefiting the Tibetan people. From 1991 to 2011, more than $185 million in funding was set aside by Congress specifically for the Tibetans in Tibet and in exile. His efforts have contributed directly to the institutionalization of US support for Tibet in the form of the Tibet Policy Act (2002), comprehensive legislation that details policy and material support to the Tibetan people and His Holiness the Dalai Lama for a negotiated solution to the Tibetan problem.

The Tibet Policy Act also codifies the establishment of the position of Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues within the US Department of State. The Special Coordinator’s central objective is to promote substantive dialogue between the government of the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives as well as assist in preserving the distinct religious, cultural and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan people.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Gyari also served as the head of the Tibet-United Nations initiative. He and his team successfully reintroduced the Tibet issue into the UN system when the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities passed the first (since 1965) UN resolution on Tibet in August 1991, ending 25 years of silence on the situation in Tibet.

Negotiations with the People’s Republic of China

Mr. Gyari’s life-long diplomatic experience, his firm belief in the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way approach and his passionate desire to help his fellow Tibetans led to the most important mission of his life, when His Holiness formally entrusted him with the task of leading negotiations with the government of the People’s Republic of China.

Mr. Gyari had first visited China in 1982 and again in 1984 as one of the three members of a high-level delegation for exploratory talks. Beginning in 2002, he led the Tibetan team that conducted negotiations with the Chinese government for nine separate rounds of talks. During this period, his team presented a comprehensive proposal from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Chinese government for the implementation of genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people as a mutually beneficial solution to the conflict.

While the Chinese leadership bluntly accused Mr. Gyari of spearheading the internationalization of the Tibet issue on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it also acknowledged that during Mr. Gyari’s stewardship, the relationship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Beijing was at its most stable and long lasting.

With the transfer of political power from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the democratically elected Tibetan leadership in 2011, Mr. Gyari decided to resign as Special Envoy. He remained in this position for another year as he hoped to maintain the fragile relationship with the government of the People’s Republic of China, which he had worked hard to establish and sustain during his tenure. However, due to the utter lack of progress in the talks and the increased repression inside Tibet, he resigned in May 2012. However, Mr. Gyari continued to serve as a member of the Tibetan Task Force on Dialogue with China.

Commitments

Even as Mr. Gyari continued to be actively involved in projects and programs to promote dialogue between Tibetans and Chinese, he also felt it important to preserve Tibetan culture and empower the Tibetan people, particularly those in Tibet.

Mr. Gyari was the Chairman of the Board of the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture, a US-based nonprofit organization that works to preserve Tibet’s living cultural heritage in Tibetan cultural areas and communities around the world, working with leading institutions, scholars and religious leaders.

Additionally, Mr. Gyari both formally and informally supported and promoted numerous civil society, cultural and Buddhist organizations and projects dedicated to maintaining Tibet’s cultural heritage, protecting the Tibetan environment, improving livelihoods, health and education for Tibetan communities, protecting sacred sites in Asia and preserving Tibetan texts, language and art. Through his involvement with nonprofit programs and civil society, Mr. Gyari has been instrumental in mobilizing over $100 million in support for more than 20 organizations and programs.

Mr. Gyari did not limit his activities to Tibet issues. He also committed to initiatives to promote right livelihood and socially responsible investments and business to reduce poverty in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia.

His international activities also included active engagement in peacemaking and conflict resolution through Kreddha, the International Peace Council for States, Peoples and Minorities, which he cofounded with the late Don Rodrigo Carazo, former President of Costa Rica, and others. Through his involvement with the Sanithirakoses-Nagapateepa Foundation and as founding member of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, based in Bangkok, Mr. Gyari engaged in the promotion of responsible environmental stewardship and development and social justice in different parts of the world.

He was actively involved in alleviating the plight of other nations and peoples. He is one of the founders of the Allied Committee, an organization formed to advance the common issues faced by the Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians under Chinese rule. This initiative inspired the founding of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, a worldwide organization established before the break-up of the Soviet Union to promote the rights of peoples and minorities through democracy and nonviolence. As a founder of UNPO, Mr. Gyari traveled extensively to the Baltic States and other East European nations, working with the democratic movements in those countries. UNPO became very active in promoting equitable solutions to the conflicts in East Timor, Burma, Aceh in Indonesia, Ogoni in Nigeria and Zanzibar and in supporting the Taiwanese democratic movement. UNPO effectively lobbied at the UN on a wide range of human rights issues and succeeded in placing the issue of population transfer on the agenda of the then-Commission on Human Rights, which appointed a special rapporteur, passed a resolution on the subject and approved a draft declaration, all of which represented an important milestone.

Mr. Gyari was also a cofounder with Michele Bohana, Joel McCleary and Lavinia Currier of the Institute for Asian Democracy (IAD), which became one of the first, most enduring and effective organizations working for human rights and democratic reform in Burma. In the early 1990s, IAD worked closely with human rights leaders such as then-Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and published, for concerned international leaders, comprehensive reports on the situation in Burma.

Mr. Gyari was regularly invited to share his thoughts at academic institutions and universities in the US, Europe and Asia. He contributed to numerous publications and spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations, The Kennedy School of Government, The Brookings Institution, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Asia Society, Asia Centre in Paris, The Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, India International Center, The Heritage Foundation, The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Chatham House, Australian National University and others. Mr. Gyari traveled extensively and visited more than 50 countries. He was invited numerous times to testify before the US Congress, European Parliament and other government bodies and institutions on the Tibet issue and the threats confronting Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

Mr. Gyari’s articles were published in The South China Morning Post, Asian Wall St. Journal, The Washington Post, The Harvard Asia Quarterly and The Far Eastern Economic Review, etc. Mr. Gyari also contributed chapters in several published works, including ‘Challenges faced by Tibetans in Reaching a lasting Agreement with China’ in Implementing Negotiated Agreements: The Real Challenge to Intrastate Peace (M. Boltjes, ed., The Hague 2007, Asser Press).

He wrote, “Since its founding in 1988 the ICT team has devoted itself to supporting the Tibetan people and the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I am honored to have played a leadership role in this endeavor, from the inception of the organization to the present day. Now as I step down as Executive Chair of ICT and from its Board of Directors, I cannot help but reflect on my work here with a deep sense of satisfaction in our accomplishments.”

Following his retirement, Mr. Gyari became a research scholar in the Asian Studies program at Georgetown University and a nonresident senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution.

Mr. Gyari devoted his time until his passing in writing his memoir, which he felt would be his additional contribution to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause. The memoir is in its final stages of completion.

Mr. Gyari is survived by his wife, Dawa Chokyi, their six children (Tenzing Dechen, Tenzing Choyang, Norbu Wangmo, Tashi Chodon, Tulku Penam and Tenzing Tsering), five grandchildren, his mothers as well as four brothers and three sisters.

With the clock quickly ticking down before the United States Senate departs for the end of the legislative year, the International Campaign for Tibet will hold an urgent Lobby Day this Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The action comes in response to China’s efforts to stop the Senate from passing the bill, as documented by The Washington Post.

Participants will call on their Senators to cosponsor and support the bill through in-person meetings on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and in Senate state offices across the nation. They will also reach out to their Senators through online advocacy.

]]>With the clock quickly ticking down before the United States Senate departs for the end of the legislative year, the International Campaign for Tibet will hold an urgent Lobby Day this Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The action comes in response to China’s efforts to stop the Senate from passing the bill, as documented by The Washington Post.

Participants will call on their Senators to cosponsor and support the bill through in-person meetings on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and in Senate state offices across the nation. They will also reach out to their Senators through online advocacy.

ICT members and other Tibet supporters from all 50 states have already contacted their Senators, and many more are expected to join on Wednesday. Tibetan associations across the US and other Tibet groups will take part in the mobilization.

“We are so close to getting reciprocal access to Tibet over the finish line, but we have to act now before the legislative calendar ends, or this vital bill will face an uncertain future,” ICT President Matteo Mecacci said. “It is crucial that all supporters of Tibet take action this Wednesday to let their Senators know that the United States must stand up to China’s pressure and stand for justice in Tibet.”

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act would deny entry to the US for Chinese officials who prevent American diplomats, journalists and citizens from entering Tibet. The bill is expected to shine a light on China’s human rights violations against the Tibetan people and address China’s unfair relationship with the US and other democratic countries.

The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on September 25.

Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said he believes that the Senate would pass reciprocal access to Tibet unanimously before the end of this year and that President Trump would sign it into law.

But, Rubio said, for that to happen, the bill would need to make it out of a Senate committee onto the floor of the Senate. In addition, none of the 100 Senators across the country could oppose the bill.

“I’m confident that if we can get it onto the floor of the Senate in some form, it would pass without even a vote,” Rubio said, adding “We want to get it there, we believe there’s support for it, and we’re working hard to get it accomplished.”

ICT has launched a campaign for Americans to tell their Senators to pass the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act and show support for the bill using #AccessToTibet.

For too long, China has prevented U.S. diplomats and journalists from seeing the conditions on the ground in Tibet.

I'm happy to see this long overdue policy pass the House and hope the Senate will continue to advance the fight for human rights for Tibetans. https://t.co/vC3p4GqGdd

The International Campaign for Tibet welcomes the recent establishment of two parliamentary groups on Tibet in France and the Czech Republic, an important sign of the continuous support for the Tibetan people in Europe.

The new Czech Parliamentary Group for Tibet, which was created at the initiative of Dana Balcarová (Pirate Party) and Marek Benda (Civic Democratic Party) in September, was officially launched this week, coinciding with the visit to Prague of the Central Tibetan Administration’s President Lobsang Sangay. It brings together over fifty representatives from both Chambers of the Czech Parliament, making it the largest parliamentary group for Tibet in Europe.

CTA president Dr. Lobsang Sangay at the inauguration of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet at the Senate of the Czech Republic in Valdštejnská on 9 October 2018. (Photo: Sontash)

The International Campaign for Tibet welcomes the recent establishment of two parliamentary groups on Tibet in France and the Czech Republic, an important sign of the continuous support for the Tibetan people in Europe.

The new Czech Parliamentary Group for Tibet, which was created at the initiative of Dana Balcarová (Pirate Party) and Marek Benda (Civic Democratic Party) in September, was officially launched this week, coinciding with the visit to Prague of the Central Tibetan Administration’s President Lobsang Sangay. It brings together over fifty representatives from both Chambers of the Czech Parliament, making it the largest parliamentary group for Tibet in Europe.

The new French National Assembly’s Tibet group President Ms. Elisabeth Toutut-Picard and her husband during an audience with the Dalai Lama in September. (Photo: Olivier Adam)

In France, the Study Group on Tibet of the National Assembly (the French Parliament’s lower house), which was first created in June 1990, was also fully reinstated this month, and is now composed of 17 deputies from various political groups. It will be chaired by Elisabeth Toutut-Picard, a health and environment specialist who belongs to the Party of President Macron La République en Marche. This new group will work hand-in-hand with its counterpart in the French Senate the International Information Tibet Group, headed by Senator Michel Raison and composed of 23 Senators.

“In view of the dire situation that continues to prevail there, it is of utmost importance that Tibet remains on the agenda of international and national politics, and we are therefore heartened by the establishment of these two groups,” said ICT’s EU Policy Director Vincent Metten. “It is all the more welcomed in the Czech Republic, where China’s influencing efforts in recent years have resulted in a U-turn of the traditionally supportive position of the government on Tibet.”

In recent years, the growing investments of Chinese state-backed companies in various sectors of the economy – including for example in Travel Services, the country’s largest airline, or major financial group J&T – has indeed induced Czech leaders to ‘silence’ voices critical of China and its human rights abuses – a 180 degree shift in a country whose post-communist policies strongly promoted human rights. In 2016, the Czech President Milos Zeman for example denied a proposed medal to a Holocaust survivor after his nephew, the Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman, met with the Dalai Lama.